2. Query whether anyone named “Obama” should be making that mistake with a name that’s (a) Gaelic and (b) ends with an A. If you trace it far back enough, his family were probably originally Ui Bathamagh…

enda kenny has chosen to form the largest coalition of the three or four mathematically possible combinations. this leaves an opposition ‘leader’
micheal martin, an opposition opposition leader gerry adams, and the three musketeers (snipers?) joe higgins, finian magrath, shane ross.

many of us now feel better. enda kenny feels a lot better. but many policy directions, with a bit of fudge, will continue.

do the commentators understand that we have not destroyed or exiled the previous government and its policies, we have, – as the remote snatching generation always do – just changed channels ?

But on the day that’s in it, I thought it was a real priviledge to see a person achieve their dream and become Taoiseach and see see, not his wonderment that it happened, but his humility at the scale of responsibility and trust given to him by his fellow countrymen.

I was also glad to see his mother in the Dáil and for him to name check Liam Cosgrave.

My mother rang me at work over here (where I was lucky I was able to watch RTE online) and asked if I had seen it and wasn’t it just wonderful to see a new government in charge. She can’t say enough good things about her local TD James Reilly!

But the bit that gave me a lump in my throat was when she said ‘maybe now we might hope to live long enough to see ye come home again if they get things right’.

So I think Enda Kenny deserves all our goodwill and for all of us to give the new government a break (I don’t mean a honeymoon as the buck stops with them from today but they can’t change things overnight and they will make mistakes) as they try tackle the mess they’ve inherited and in six monthys or a year, then judge how they are doing so far.

I also thought Michaél Martin handled what must be a difficult situation for him with more dignity than Ahern or Cowen would have mustered.

Also, I note the new Taoiseach named checked previous Taoisigh but omitted the names of CJH, Ahern and Cowen and rightly too.

But for of us who love our country, no matter where we live in the world for now, today is when we rally round and wish the new government all the luck in the world and if Enda Kenny can being the same dedication to rebuilding, as he did to rebuilding FG, then the future doesn’t look too bad afterall.

Rallying around and enabling are not the same thing Desmond. I have zero faith in our contemporary politicians (the aggregate in general, and some in the specific) to propose, drive and achieve economic,social and political reforms. Like zero as in nil!

I may be agreeably suprised. But those just announced self-imposed paltry wage ‘haircuts’ are a insult:Political Nominality rules. Reforms, KOd!

Well I do have faith – because above all else Enda Kenny is a decent honest man and more so than at least four of his most recent predecessors.

So that means he won’t be turning a blind eye to cronyism around him either, like others were so fond of doing.

But along side that, the actual evidence of the changes he made on issues he did have control over, such as FG, prove he is able to reform and bring success.

So now he is actually able to control government, you’ll see. He’ll electrify the country.

Yup the salaries are far too high still but so too are the tasks facing ministers and like it or not, people are motivated by money and status and yea yea, in a perfect world and all that … but we don’t live in a perfect world.

I’m more worried about how they’ll reform the pensions and expenses and perks than the core salaries. Time will tell.

brian cowen was handed the information that obama was descended from offaly ancestors, and publicised it. is this a friendly act ? was obama pleased ? cowan was lucky the president did not send to c i a into action to prove that cowan was descended from kenyan goat herders.

john f kennedy’s connection was real, and proximate, and he was the first catholic president of the u s a. ever after that we have tried to recapture the glorious success of the kennedy visit – even at the risk of making the presidents, and ourselves, look foolish – bogus as reagan’s unfinished pint left on the counter in ballyporeen ?

@Brian Woods
Given the title/theme of this forum, perhaps you would care to set down what kinds of changes we need to think about in order to bring in politicians “to propose, drive and achieve economic, social and political reforms” or refer us to other places in which you have set this down.
“From the clash of ideas, minds ignite” the late Prof. Patrick Lynch.